Carl Gustav Jung (1875–1961): The Psychologist Who Read the Stars and Scripture as Archetypes
How Jung saw astrology and the Bible as two symbolic languages speaking to the soul.
Fast Facts
- Full Name: Carl Gustav Jung
- Born: July 26, 1875 — Kesswil, Switzerland
- Died: June 6, 1961 — Küsnacht, Switzerland
- Known for: Founding Analytical Psychology; developing concepts of archetypes, the collective unconscious, and synchronicity
- Relevance: Interpreted both astrology and the Bible as symbolic maps of the psyche
- Religious Background: Son of a Protestant pastor; lifelong explorer of myth, mysticism, and Christian tradition
Life & Context
Jung was born in Switzerland in 1875, the son of a Reformed pastor. Though he grew skeptical of literalist Christianity, he remained fascinated by its symbols, rituals, and imagery. After breaking with Freud, Jung developed his own school of psychology, one that gave central importance to myth, dreams, and the collective unconscious. Unlike many modern scientists, Jung never dismissed astrology — he studied it, experimented with it, and treated it as a symbolic key to human psychology.
Jung and Astrology
Jung believed astrology worked not because planets caused events, but because the psyche and the cosmos are linked by archetypes. For him, the positions of the stars at birth mirrored patterns in the unconscious. He once wrote:
“We are born at a given moment, in a given place, and like vintage years of wine we have the qualities of the year and of the season in which we are born.”
— Carl Jung, Collected Works, Vol. 17
Jung also developed the idea of synchronicity — meaningful coincidences that reveal connections between inner and outer worlds. He described astrology as one of the clearest examples of synchronicity at work.
Jung and the Bible
Though not orthodox, Jung read the Bible as a text of archetypes. He saw its stories — creation, the flood, Christ’s passion, Revelation — as symbolic dramas playing out in the human soul. In this way, the Bible functioned much like astrology: both offered archetypal images that gave meaning to inner experience.
“The story of Christ is a collective myth of the Self, the archetype of wholeness.”
— Carl Jung, Aion (1951)
For Jung, Christ was not only a historical figure but the living symbol of the Self, the divine image within each person. The signs of the zodiac, likewise, mapped the journey of individuation — the process of becoming whole.
Archetypes: The Bridge Between Stars and Scripture
Jung’s theory of archetypes created a bridge between astrology and the Bible. Both were, in his view, archetypal languages. The twelve apostles echoed the twelve zodiac signs; the beasts of Revelation echoed ancient star symbols; the drama of sin and redemption echoed the eternal cycle of death and rebirth in the heavens.
“Astrology represents the sum of all the psychological knowledge of antiquity.”
— Carl Jung, Letter to Professor B.V. Raman (1947)
Key Quotes from Jung
“Whatever is born or done at a particular moment of time has the quality of this moment of time.”
“Astrology is assured of recognition from psychology, without further restrictions, because astrology represents the summation of all the psychological knowledge of antiquity.”
“The Christ-symbol is of the greatest importance for psychology, since it embodies the archetype of the Self.”
Legacy & Influence
Jung legitimized astrology for modern seekers by reframing it as a symbolic science rather than a deterministic one. He brought biblical archetypes into dialogue with the zodiac and gave the Christian myth a psychological meaning that still resonates. For our Astrology and the Bible series, Jung represents the bridge into modernity — showing that even in the 20th century, the stars and Scripture still speak together as mirrors of the soul.